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Minnesota Bar Owner Puts Pregnancy Test Dispenser in Restroom

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by Nicole Harms on July 24, 2012

Nicole Harms

About the Author

Nicole Harms is a 30-something mom of three adorable girls. A seasoned writer, her work has appeared on USAToday, the New York Stock Exchange, and eHow.com. When she is not writing she is busy scrapbooking, doing crafts or reading with her kids, or volunteering at school.

About the Blog

WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

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Tempted to drink while pregnant? At a bar in Southern Minnesota, you'll be staring at a pregnancy test dispenser while using the restroom that's been installed in hopes of deterring you from this very activity.

The dispenser, which is in the ladies' restroom in a bar called Pub 500, dispenses tests for just $3 and takes a credit card, as reported by TIME. The reason the bar's owner, Tom Fredrik, decided to install the dispenser was to try to remind women that they should not be drinking if they think they might be pregnant.

After the recent report of so many moms-to-be drinking while pregnant, his decision couldn't have come at a better time. With these new machines, women who visit this particular bar can verify if they are or are not pregnant before they indulge.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is nothing to take lightly. Babies exposed to alcohol in the womb can be born with facial deformities, low birth weights, and problems with the central nervous system. They may also experience behavioral and cognitive problems as they develop, and their growth may be stunted. These are serious, lifelong consequences, and something no mom would want to put on her child. The convenience of these tests just might lower the likelihood of this happening to future children.

I think this is a great move! In fact, I would love to see more bars follow the example of this one. While it seems foolish to me to go drinking when you think you might be pregnant in the first place, I do understand that a trip to the bar may simply be part of a woman's social life. With this machine in the restroom, she can discretely and affordably check whether or not she is expecting before she drinks. If there is any question at all, she can rule out or verify the pregnancy quickly and easily.

Of course, the machine will only be helpful if it is, in fact, used. I wonder how many women pay attention to those vending machines when they enter the restroom during a night out with friends. After all, there are vending machines dispensing feminine products in nearly every publish restroom. Still, the pregnancy test vending machines have posters on them clearly outlining the dangers of drinking while expecting, so perhaps that alone would be enough to deter a mom or two from partying too hard while carrying a baby.

What do you think of a pregnancy test dispenser in the ladies' room? Tell us below in the comments section!

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